I, too Summary

In this poem the poet asserts that, though he is marginalized for the color of his skin, he will grow strong in the realms of society to which he has been confined and later emerge to shame his oppressors.

I, too Analysis

"I, too" is a response to the Walt Whitman poem, "I Hear America Singing." In that poem, Whitman describes the very many people that comprise the complex social fabric of the United States. In that poem, Whitman names various professional workers as members of American society. Whitman does not identify these people as being either black or white, but the Hughes poem suggests that Whitman did not consider blacks in his poem. Hughes was very much influenced by Whitman, and this poem is his response to the great poet. Note the different tenor of "I, too" when compared with...